Draft Insiders' Digest Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency PublicationVikings, Redskins to Coach 2012 Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl 2012 Roster
The Senior Bowl is the nation’s most unique football game and football’s premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the country’s best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South which are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams. Senior Bowl practices are also attended by over 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32 National Football League teams, making Mobile and the Senior Bowl the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convention.
The 2012 Senior Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The 2012 game will be nationally televised by NFL Network. Kickoff is 3pm (CST).
Vikings, Redskins to Coach 2012 Senior Bowl
The 2012 Senior Bowl will feature a pair of NFL head coaches making their Senior Bowl head coaching debuts. Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins staff will face Leslie Frazier and the Minnesota Vikings staff in the senior showcase event later this month, it was announced today. Shanahan and his staff will lead the South squad in Mobile, while Frazier’s Vikings staff will coach the North. The 2012 Senior Bowl is scheduled Saturday, January 28th. The game and all practices will be televised by NFL Network.
Both head coaches are no strangers to the event, having served as coordinators under different staffs in Mobile—Frazier with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2004 and Shanahan with the Denver Broncos in 1986.
“We’re really excited about having both of these staffs here in Mobile working with the future stars of the National Football League,” Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. “With the amount of experience that both Coach Shanahan and Coach Frazier bring to the table, our players will receive the very best instruction as they prepare for the next level.”
This will mark the first time since 1998 and seventh time overall that the Redskins have been selected to coach the senior showcase event. Washington has gone 3-3 in their six previous trips to Mobile, coaching the North squad four times and leading the South twice. Shanahan’s Redskins went 5 and 11 this season—his second in Washington—and own the sixth overall pick in April’s draft. Prior to Washington, Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998. He began his NFL head coaching career with the Los Angeles Raiders and in 18 NFL seasons he’s 162 and 113 overall.
“The Senior Bowl provides us a great opportunity to get to know some of the young players who will be selected in the 2012 NFL Draft,” Shanahan said. The Redskins were clearly impressed with last year’s Senior Bowl roster, drafting a league-leading six players from the 2011 game—including Ryan Kerrigan with the 16th overall pick. The Redskins currently have 16 Senior Bowl alums on their roster.
This will be only the second time the Vikings staff has coached the Senior Bowl and first since 1980. That year, with Bud Grant at the helm, the Vikings staff led the North squad to a resounding 57-3 victory. “The Vikings coaching staff and I are very excited to be a part of a great tradition and have the opportunity to coach in the 2012 Senior Bowl. It gives us the chance to work with some of the most talented football players in the country as they prepare to enter the NFL,” Frazier said.
Frazier recently completed his first season as head coach in Minnesota, having worn the interim tag for six games in 2010. The Vikings went 3-13 this season and own the third overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. “We are looking forward to working with and getting to know all of the players we’ll have the opportunity to coach. We are excited to go into a great environment in Mobile and work with some incredible prospects,” Frazier added.
Like the Redskins, the Vikings also used their first round pick on a Senior Bowl player last year. Minnesota selected 2011 Senior Bowl Most Valuable Player Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick and went on to choose four more Senior Bowlers in the draft. The Vikings currently have 19 former Senior Bowl players on their roster.
Tickets for the 2012 Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), all area Food For Less locations, select Regions Bank locations, online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
Senior Bowl 2012 Roster
No. Name Position HT/WT School
TBA Adams, Joe WR 5-11 / 190 Arkansas
TBA Adams, Mike OL 6-8 / 320 Ohio State
TBA Allen, Antonio DB 6-2 / 202 South Carolina
TBA Ballard, Vick RB 5-11 / 220 Mississippi St.
TBA Bequette, Jake DL 6-5 / 271 Arkansas
TBA Blake, Philip OL 6-3 / 320 Baylor
TBA Boykin, Brandon DB 5-10 / 183 Georgia
TBA Brewster, Mike OL 6-5 / 315 Ohio State
TBA Bullock, Randy PK 5-9 / 212 Texas A&M
TBA Butler, Drew P 6-2 / 214 Georgia
TBA Crawford, Jack DL 6-5 / 265 Penn State
TBA Daniels, Mike DL 6-1 / 280 Iowa
TBA Ewing, Bradie RB 6-0 / 245 Wisconsin
TBA Fuller, Jeff WR 6-4 / 220 Texas A&M
TBA Ganoway, Terrance RB 6-0 / 240 Baylor
TBA Glenn, Cordy OL 6-5 / 348 Georgia
TBA Gray, Cyrus RB 5-10 / 200 Texas A&M
TBA Harris, Josh DS 6-1 / 224 Auburn
TBA Hayward, Casey DB 5-11 / 188 Vanderbilt
TBA Herron, Dan RB 5-10 / 205 Ohio State
TBA Howard, Jaye DL 6-3 / 303 Florida
TBA Iloka, George DB 6-3 / 216 Boise State
TBA Ingram, Melvin DL 6-2 / 276 South Carolina
TBA Jones, Ben OL 6-3 / 316 Georgia
TBA Lynn, D'Anton DB 6-1 / 210 Penn State
TBA Martin, Doug RB 5-9 / 215 Boise State
TBA McCants, Matt OL 6-7 / 295 UAB
TBA McNutt, Marvin WR 6-4 / 215 Iowa
TBA Moore, Kellen QB 6-0 / 191 Boise State
TBA Mosley, Brandon OL 6-6 / 310 Auburn
TBA Nortman, Brad P 6-3 / 210 Wisconsin
TBA Posey, DeVier WR 6-2 / 210 Ohio State
TBA Rainey, Chris RB 5-9 / 174 Florida
TBA Still, Devon DL 6-5 / 305 Penn State
TBA Tannehill, Ryan QB 6-4 / 222 Texas A&M
TBA Toon, Nick WR 6-3 / 220 Wisconsin
TBA Troutman, Johnnie OL 6-4 / 323 Penn State
TBA Wilson, Russell QB 5-11 / 210 Wisconsin
TBA Winn, Billy DL 6-4 / 295 Boise State
TBA Wojta, Kyle DS 6-2 / 230 Wisconsin
TBA Wright, Kendall WR 5-10 / 190 Baylor
TBA Zeitler, Kevin OL 6-4 / 315 Wisconsin
Frank Coyle is a long time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe etc for the past 18 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites.
All-Star Games 2011-2012 Postseason
The postseason 2011-2012 All-star game schedule begins on Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia as the HBCU Senior Bowl game for small college prospects gets a chance to showcase their pro potential first in front of NFL scouts. Draft Insiders.com will have complete reports from every All-star game in our monthly Newsletters and exclusive emails to subscribers. Our December Newsletter 2011 will be out next week with new Top 150 Senior Pro Prospects, Mock Draft, Underclassmen Report and NFL Draft 2012 Buzz.
Photo - WR Michael Floyd - Notre Dame
All-Star Games 2011-2012 Postseason
* Dec. 18 - HBCU Senior Bowl - Atlanta, Ga
January Schedule - 2012
* Jan. 7 - Cactus Bowl - Division II - Kingsville, Tx
* Jan 16 - Casino del Sol All-star game – Tucson, Arizona
* Jan. 21 - East-West Shrine Classic – St. Petersburg, Florida
* Jan 21 - AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl - Los Angeles, Ca.
* Jan. 23 - Eastham Energy All-Star - Tempe, Arizona
* Jan. 28 - Senior Bowl - Mobile, Alabama
* Feb. 5 - Dixie Gridiron Classic - St. George, Utah
Frank Coyle writes ‘College Football Monday’ weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He is also a member of the FWAA and voter in College team and player awards - Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Thorpe, etc. He is a voter for weekly Team and Player Awards
Senior Bowl – Pro Prospects
For the 16th time in the last 17 years the Under Armour Senior Bowl will be played in front of a capacity crowd (40,646) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Game officials announced today that the 2011 game has sold out.
Photo - DT Phil Taylor - Baylor
“We want to thank our ticket buyers for showing their support by purchasing every available ticket for the 62nd game,” Senior Bowl Public Relations Director Kevin McDermond said. “We look forward to putting on a first class event in front of a packed house on tomorrow.”
The 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl is scheduled for 3pm (CT) today, January 29th in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game will be televised by NFL Network.
Players to Watch
Offensive Players
Christian Ponder - Florida St. - QB - 6’2” 220
Bilal Powell - Louisville - RB - 5’10” 205
Kendall Hunter - Oklahoma St. - RB - 5’7” 200
Jeremy Kerley - TCU - WR/RS - 5’9” 190
Dwayne Harris - East Carolina - WR/RS - 5’10” 200
Luke Stocker - Tennessee - TE - 6’5” 255
James Carpenter - Alabama - OT - 6’5” 315
Marcus Gilbert - Florida - OT - 6’6” 330
Nate Solder - Colorado - OT - 6’8” 315
Vincent Brown - San Diego St. - WR - 5’11” 185
Febuary Newsletter will have an extensive Senior Bowl evaluation along with Mock Draft, Top Pro Prospects, NFL Draft Buzz and Small College Pro Prospects / Special NFL Free Agency Reports - Order Today
Defensive Players
Cameron Jordan - California - DE - 6’4” 287
Pernell McPhee - Mississippi St. - DE - 6’3” 275
Phil Taylor - Baylor - DT - 6’3” 340
Kelvin Sheppard - LSU - LB - 6’2” 250
K.J. Wright - Mississippi St. - LB - 6’3” 246
Johnny Patrick - Louisville - CB - 5’10” 185
Curtis Brown - Texas - CB - 5’11” 180
Kendric Burney - North Carolina - CB - 5’9” 180
Marcus Gilchrist - Clemson - CB - 5’10” 195
Eric Hagg - Nebraska - S - 6’1” 205
Players who need a Strong Showing in the Senior Bowl
Offensive Players
Jake Locker - Washington - QB - 6'2" 230
Ricky Stanzi - Iowa - QB - 6'4" 220
Andy Dalton - TCU - QB - 6'2" 215
Noel Devine - West Virginia - RB -5'7" 160
Roy Helu - Nebraska - RB - 5'11" 215
DeMarcus Love - Arkansas - OL - 6'5" 320
Lee Ziemba - Auburn - OT - 6'6" 315
Kris O'Dowd - USC - C - 6'4" 300
Defensive Players
Allen Bailey - Miami (FL) - DE - 6’3” 278
Cedrick Thornton - Southern Arkansas - DT - 6’4” 300
Mark Herzlich - Boston College - LB - 6’4” 250
Ross Homan - Ohio St. - LB - 6’ 230
Casey Matthews - Oregon - LB - 6’1” 235
Jalil Brown - Colorado - CB - 6’ 200
Rashad Carmichael - Virginia Tech - CB - 5’10” 185
DeAndre McDaniel - Clemson - S - 6’ 215
The Senior Bowl is college football’s premier pre-draft event, annually featuring the nation’s best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams coached by NFL coaching staffs. Senior Bowl practices and game week festivities are attended by more than 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from all 32 National Football League teams, making Mobile and the Senior Bowl the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convention. For more information on the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl please visit the bowl’s website at www.seniorbowl.com.
Senior Bowl North Team Line Battles
2011 Senior Bowl Week - Practices
Photo – OT Nate Solder - Colorado
The Senior Bowl committee has done another outstanding job assembling the top senior pro prospects from across the nation. The Senior Bowl practices this week has shown that Chairman Steve Hale has put together an excellent roster again that will be showcased in the All-star game this Saturday.
Every year the fine senior talent arrives in Mobile Alabama for this classic game. This year the North roster features an unusually strong group of linemen on both sides of the ball. The North practices have been outstanding as future #1 picks squared up in ‘The Pit” on one on one drills.
January Monthly Newsletter - 17 pgs. Available Now - Three Round Mock Draft, Top 150 Pro Prospects, East-West Game, Underclassmen and Small College Pro Prospects Reports - Order Today
Three potential #1 selections, OTs Nate Solder of Colorado, Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin and Anthony Castonzo of Boston College have performed well, playing up to their high grade entering the week. Solder is a blue chip athlete who may go as high as the top 10 selections in April if he performs well in the game. Carimi played both tackle and guard and graded out high at every position. Castonzo is everything we scouted over the past three seasons and assured himself an early first round grade after a strong overall performance. All three offensive linemen matched up well with teammates DE Cameron Jordan of California, DE Jeremy Beal of Oklahoma, DL Christian Ballard of Iowa and DE Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue. Each of the defensive linemen will also be selected early and possibly all first round choices with strong postseasons. The trio of tackles will face South defenders Allen Bailey of Miami, Pernell McPhee of Mississippi St and DE Sam Acho of Texas on Saturday, all quality defenders. After facing the likes of Jordan, Kerrigan, Beal and Ballard, the North tackles will be battle tested for the game action that will be the final test of the Senior Bowl week.
Two North defensive linemen were replaced on the roster due to injuries. DT Stephen Paea, 6' 1" 295 of Oregon St tore his MCL in his right knee on the first day of practice and will miss most of the postseason. He was considered a mid first round selection. Ohio St’s DE Cameron Heyward withdrew from the event after he underwent Tommy John surgery on an injured elbow in mid January. Heyward suffered a hyper-extended elbow in the Ohio St. Sugar Bowl win vs Arkansas and will likely miss any workouts for 3-4 months. Whether Paea or Heyward participate in Pro Days or individual workouts in April remains to be seen. There medical status could affect their draft status. Each carried an early first round grade into the postseason.
2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl Week
Senior Bowl Rosters and Coaching Staffs
http://www.seniorbowl.com/rosters.asp
Tickets for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
Senior Bowl Week - Practices
Wideout Titus Young - Boise St
Boise State wideout Titus Young has stood out with outstanding workouts where he has flashed explosive speed and quickness. He has shown elite quickness and speed out of his breaks and separating in the deep game. He created excellent separation and caught the ball well, showing soft hands and fine body control. At the weigh-in, he checked in at 5’11” and 174 lbs.
Titus Young is a Santana Moss / DeSean Jackson type playmaker with rare explosive speed and playmaking ability.
As a senior, he played in all of the Broncos 13 games and was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference for the 2nd straight year. He caught 71 passes for a career-high 1,215 yards and 9 TDs. Over his career, his yardage total is No. 1 all-time with over 3000 yards on 204 career receptions that ranks 2nd in school history. During his stay at Boise St, he had 25 career receiving scores and 35 total TDs with two straight 1,000-yard seasons. As a senior, he totaled 1,916 all-purpose yards to bring his total to 4,464 career all-purpose yards.
Boise St’s Titus Young early Scouting Report
Titus Young #4 – 5’11” 174 lbs. – Boise St. - Sp. 4.40
He shows a great burst of speed to get deep with the ability to track the ball and go up and use his good leaping skills to make a big play. He has a fine combination of quickness, speed and running skills to provide playmaking at the pro level as both a receiver and returner. He needs development as a route runner with better hand technique to release quicker at the line and better understanding of coverage and holes in the secolndary. He cuts quickly at the breakpoint to run consistently crisp routes. He must show the toughness to go over the middle and extend for the ball and make the difficult catch in heavy traffic. He must learn to work the middle better and show better recognition of pass coverage and where the holes are in zones to make the key receptions that move the chains. He shows fine hands and the body control to adjust to the pass that gives him a good receiving radius. He has fine AA and the skill set to become a starting pro with the separation speed to get deep and make a big play that has drawn rave reviews from NFL scouts. He has the rare sudden burst of speed to blow by NFL caliber cover men regularly that will command a high draft selection in April. He is a smooth runner with good running skills to make big yardage after the catch and hit the home run. He is especially effective running the go route, showing the burst to get behind corners. As a runner, he has good elusiveness with the quick burst of speed to hit an opening. He wastes little motion as a route runner and retains his speed well with the ability to track the deep ball and make the big play. He needs work as a blocker that must improve if he expects to see playing time initially. He adjusts quickly to the pass, showing the body control to shield the ball from defenders and the leaping ability to go up and make the catch.
Draft Insiders' Yearbook will have over 300 In-depth Scouting Reports
2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl Week
Senior Bowl Rosters and Coaching Staffs
http://www.seniorbowl.com/rosters.asp
Tickets for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
2011 Senior Bowl Week - Rosters
OL Brandon Fusco - Slippery Rock
Senior Rosters & Coaching Staffs
seniorbowl.com/rosters.asp
"Small School" Stars Selected to Under Armour Senior Bowl
Three players from Division II schools will look to shine in the national spotlight this week at the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl. Slippery Rock (Pa.) offensive lineman Brandon Fusco, Abilene Christian wide receiver Edmond Gates and Southern Arkansas defensive lineman Cedric Thornton have all officially accepted invitations to the senior showcase event, it was announced today. The 62nd game is scheduled for 3pm (CT) on Saturday, January 29th in Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game and all practices are televised by NFL Network.
Monthly Newsletters feature - Three Round Mock Draft, Top 150 Pro Prospects, NFL Draft Buzz, Underclassmen and Small College Pro Prospects - Order Today
"The Senior Bowl has a long history of affording the opportunity to guys from smaller schools to showcase their talents in front of the top decision makers in the National Football League," Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. "All three of these guys are great players and will have no problem competing against players from larger schools here in Mobile next week."
Fusco is the first player from Slippery Rock to earn a Senior Bowl invitation. The offensive center won the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award this year in addition to the Division II Rimington Award, which goes to the nation's best center. He was named to the Associated Press' Little All-America Team and was an AFCA Division II first team All-American. The Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania native was part of an offensive line that helped pave the way for the fifth-leading rusher in Division II this season (Akeem Satterfield).
Gates is the Wildcats' second ever Senior Bowl invitee, joining ACU alum Johnny Perkins ('77 Senior Bowl) on the game's all-time roster. The wide out put up huge numbers in 2010, reeling in 66 catches for 1,182 yards and 13 touchdowns in helping the Wildcats to an 11-0 regular season record. He was just the seventh player in school history to break the 1,000-yard receiving mark and the fifth player to have more than 60 catches. Gates leaves Abilene Christian ranked second in career receiving yards (2,885), third in receptions (158), tied for first in touchdown catches (27) and fourth in scoring (194 points).
Thornton is the first player from Southern Arkansas to be invited to the Senior Bowl. The first team All-Gulf South Conference selection recorded 52 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position this year. He ranked 16th in Division II and first in the GSC in tackles for loss (1.63 per game) and was 15th in the conference in total tackles (6.5 per game). Thornton had a monster junior year for the Muleriders, leading the team in tackles (80), tackles for loss (23), and sacks (8.5).
Fusco will suit up for the North squad next week in Mobile, which will be coached by Marvin Lewis and his Cincinnati Bengals staff. Gates and Thornton meanwhile will play for the South under the direction of Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey and his staff.
Tickets for the 2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street), online at www.seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109.
